Change What You Crave By Changing How You Think: The 5 Step Mental Method

If I were to ask you which foods temp you, most likely they wouldn’t be ones that are very healthy. I bet they would be ice cream, potato chips, pizza, or something along those lines. In fact, in your mind right now as you’re reading, you are probably thinking about a food that isn’t healthy. Well, aren’t you? Stop for a moment and think about it……………….. The point I’m going to make in this article is that you can change what you crave by changing how you think.

Every new client that comes to my office for weight-loss has a “craving problem.” But I don’t see it as a problem at all. I see it as a solution. Cravings are over-rated. They are hodge-podge and we don’t have to be controlled by them. We don’t have to feel temped by ice cream, cookies or 20-ounce prime ribs. Instead, we can be tempted by watermelon, pineapple, oranges or apples; foods like that. Think that sounds crazy? Well it isn’t and you’ll see why.

When I first sit down and talk with a client about their eating habits, I gather everything I need to know about exactly what they eat and how they eat. The culprit to their weight problem always boils down to snacking, picking, eating foods that are unhealthy or just plain over-eating. Then I’ll ask them what fruits and vegetables they like. I’m yet to come across someone who hates fruit or hates every vegetable under the sun. Finally I’ll ask them how often they eat fruits or vegetables and it’s always a lot less often than the unhealthy stuff.

After I’ve gathered my arsenal of information, we do our thing. I’ll have my clients lay back in my recliner and close their eyes. I’ll direct their mind to a peaceful place, and within minutes they’ll be relaxed like never before. Then I start talking about their favorite fruits and vegetables. I’ll ask them to imagine taking a bite of their favorite juicy, ripe fruit and to feel the juices tickling their taste buds. I’ll say to their mind, “from now on anytime you have a craving for food, you will think of a juicy, ripe piece of fruit. And bingo!!! Next thing you know these are exactly the kinds of foods they start desiring. Why? Because anytime you close your eyes and bring yourself to a calm, relaxed place, your subconscious mind emerges, and it is this part of the mind that controls what you crave. Change your thoughts and you’ll change what you crave. Simple.

Let’s look at this from another perspective. Let’s say pineapple is your favorite fruit. Now, if you were sitting with me right now and I gave you a juicy chunk of it, you would enjoy it thoroughly. And you’d want more, right? Of course. Now, let’s say I reached into my refrigerator, whipped-out a piece of chocolate cake and said, “choose one.” Most likely you would opt for the pineapple because you just had a teaser-piece, which would make your mind want more. The fact of the matter is this: you enjoy your favorite fruits just as much as you enjoy your favorite junk foods, you just believe otherwise.

Again, cravings are over-rated. The mere mention of that devilish word always seems to conjures-up images of high calorie, high fat foods only because these are the foods you are most exposed to in our media driven world. Your subconscious gets accustomed to this and just doesn’t know any better. Change your minds images and you’ll change your cravings. Here’s a quick 5 minute mental exercise you can begin doing now to help you start changing the way you crave food.

Step 1: Find a comfortable, quiet place where there are no distractions. Begin breathing deeply until you are quite relaxed. Next, count backwards from 10-1, slowly. With each count, imagine that your mind is drifting deeper and deeper.

Step 2: After you have finished counting, imagine that you are relaxing by yourself in your favorite place. A secluded beach or a log in the woods will do the trick. Imagine yourself feeling so very relaxed and peaceful.

Step 3: Next, imagine a basket full of your favorite fresh picked fruit sitting right next to you. See it clearly in your mind, the color, the feel, everything about that fruit. Imagine taking a bite of that juicy fruit and enjoying it like never before.

Step 4: Repeat the following suggestion to yourself 10 times: “From now on, anytime I think of eating, I immediately feel a craving for fruit.”

Step 5: Count from 1 to 5, slowly, and when you reach 5 open your eyes.


Are cravings controlling your eating habits? Well, they don't have to anymore. Cravings are overated. Learn how to use your mind to change what you crave. You will lose weight. Good Luck.

Motivation to follow a fitness program

Don't Give Up

Motivation is the end all of friends when it comes to achieving
any goal in life.

There is a common factor in all successful fitness programs, and
that is your own motivation. It's even more important than your
personal trainer, your doctor, or even the program itself. You have to be
determined to reach your goals and do what needs to be done to get
there. So, you are overweight and are wanting to lose some extra
pounds. I have trained hundreds of clients. There is nothing I or any
other instructor in the world can do to help you lose that weight if you
don't take responsibility to stick to your exercise routine and eat the right
diet. Think about it as if you were sick and needed treatment from a
doctor. If you aren't going to follow the treatment plan, there is nothing
a doctor can do to heal you.
So, before you start your next fitness program, really question
yourself about your motivation. Make sure you have the determination
to push yourself through.
You have to make sure you will be motivated to go through the
whole program till the end. A great tactic many successful people use is
to think about the end result. Imagine it as if you already achieved it.
So, if you would like to lose ten pounds, think about the body you would
have if you followed a program to lose those ten pounds. You could go
out and buy a pair of jeans that you would fit in if you were ten pounds
lighter. Keep the jeans around and in site throughout your program to
remind yourself of your goal.
This applies to any results you're looking for. If you are currently
having cardiac problems, imagine your health if you were to stick to an
exercise and diet program for twelve weeks.
The best way to keep motivated is to think about what results there
are to come if you put the effort in. These efforts won't seem so difficult
if you think of it this way.

Why do most health and fitness programs fail?

What's the cause for such an alarming rate of failure when itcomes to fitness programs and diets? It may not be theprogram's fault.

Everyday people make big plans to change their lifestyle and begin
a fitness program, and only a week later, they have given up. Gym
memberships are bought then never used. Diet programs are created but
only followed a few days until the next craving hits. Sometimes, a great
deal of expensive shopping from big-name brands is done for morning
routines only to be used to lounge around the house. So what goes
wrong?
When you hear about exercise routines and diet programs failing
all around us, you start to lose faith in these programs. But in most
cases, it isn't the diet's or workout's fault. It is the fault of the people who
started the routine but didn't follow through to the end. Most people in
this day and age expect results instantly. A magic pill, the ultimate diet,
or even surgery are not the answer for a healthy lifestyle with the results
their looking for. When someone quits an exercise program midway,
they are not going to see the benefits.
A new health and fitness program doesn't need to be created to get
the results you're is after, but instead you need the on going motivation
to achieve these goals. You have to have the right mindset to follow
through with whatever program you've chosen. If you can do that, the
problems you face today with your health and fitness lifestyle will be in
the past. You won't have to travel to the corners of the earth to find this
motivation either. It is within us all right now. You only need to bring it
out and use it.
We all need to do this before even thinking of joining a health
program.
The next time you hear of a workout program or diet failing, think
who gives the criticism. Remember that the criticism may not be because
the program stands on shaky ground, but it is because people begin with
great intentions and then do not follow the program as they should have.